Alexi's seemingly dismissive, and even excited, manner did nothing to dispel the vampire captive's simmering fury. Furthermore, the sheer hypocrisy of his claiming to support free will while blatantly curtailing Erik's own made his blood boil at the thought. He even acted as though he cared for his slaves! Except that if he cared for them, he would let them be free. It was all he could do not to try and strike the man where he stood, though surely that would have only led to a tightening of his chains. 

Once Alexi had left, the vampire captive looked around his opulently decorated cell. The sheer ostentatiousness made him want to vomit. He stood up from the bed, and tested the length of his chains. They had been extended to allow a ten foot radius, though compared to the the size of the room, that hardly let him get out of the bed, and certainly did not allow him to even get as far as the restroom. He would have asked what he was expected to do, as there was a chamber pot set on the bedside table. Unfortunately, no food or water accompanied it, however. Unbeknown to Erik, Joseph had held enough sympathy for the captive-to-be to at least provide that basic necessity. But he could never step so far out of Alexi's wishes as to provide him with anything resembling food or water, as much as he had wanted to. Erik would also find not a single weapon in the room, nor anything that could be turned into a weapon in any reasonable amount of time, as in before the prisoner would be caught.

Besides, already the lack of blood and the after-effects of the tranquilizer were beginning to get to the vampire. So, with a frustrated growl, he settled down to sleep.

~*~*~

Joseph forced himself to meet Master Mois' eyes from his spot on the ground. He found it difficult despite being given little choice with the way the elder brother took his face. Forgiveness he had anticipated, but for the elder brother to actually lower himself to meet the slave? That was quite moving. Still, he could never reveal such emotion. It was simply not done. Proper servants were supposed to be invisible, and part of that was repressing any outward displays of emotion. 

He understood too well Master Mois' confusion, and he would have replied, respectfully of course. But then the moment was interrupted by the knock on the passageway door.

[i]”I am over six centuries old, and I am capable of using text messages, email alerts, and cell phone calls. Sending an actual person to fetch me is beyond inefficient. Then again, Master Alexi is terribly old fashioned. Perhaps he enjoys the romanticism of it, and well, with as much wealth as the Vandros family has, he can afford to be inefficient at times,”[/i] the vampire butler thought, a small smile involuntarily crossing his visage. He bowed low and respectfully the the elder brother, and dared to meet his eye for one last time, when the servant messenger was not paying attention. The look conveyed the reply, “I shall try, and I will protect him.”

As they traversed the passageway, Joseph was silent, simply pondering the conversation he had had with Master Mois. He was rather doubtful about his ability to wring the truth from Master Alexi, however. [i]”If that eccentric master will not tell his own brother, than who says he will tell me?!”[/i] he thought worriedly, becoming increasingly exasperated when he considered the younger brother's strange actions.

“Thank you for delivering the message, Sindrus. Please return to your chores,” he commented to the younger servant when they reached the main mansion. The lad scampered off with no problem, and the head servant walked purposefully to the first floor lounge, by the front hall.

He arrived in only five minutes, and bowed low as he crossed the entryway into the room.

“You requested my presence, Master Alexi?”